when the phone rings novel
"—406."
"What?"
"—Have you always approached Hee-joo with such thoughts?" His voice was thick with suppressed anger.
"—What gives you the right to belittle her like this?"
"What?"
"—...Just this kind of petty relationship... it's infuriating..."
The sound of the phone being moved away made his voice slightly muffled.
"Uh..."
"—If you can't even recognize her strengths, then stop making threats. You're unqualified. For someone who wishes for my failure, 406, you're utterly disappointing."
The clash of harsh words and heavy breaths struck like thunder in her ears.
"—I tolerate all sorts of bastards around me on a daily basis."
"...!"
Wait, was he just insulting me? Again?
"—The more I understand you, 406, the more I see there's absolutely nothing redeemable about you."
From his tone, it was obvious Baek Sa-eon was defending her. Yet strangely, Hee-joo felt as if she were the one being scolded, leaving her with conflicted emotions. A small surge of defiance welled up in her chest.
"That's because you don't truly know her..."
"—I don't know her?" He let out a sarcastic laugh.
"—If I don't know her, then who does?"
"...!"
"—Hee-joo isn't gloomy; she's observant of her surroundings. She's not socially inept; most people are rude to her first. Calling her narrow-minded? That's just her passion for her work. Saying she submits to money? That's because..."
Baek Sa-eon spoke with unwavering confidence.
"—She loves her mother."
At those words, tears suddenly surged from her eyes.
It felt like something bloated and festering within her had burst, splitting apart with an audible crack. Her ears roared, and she hurriedly wiped her damp cheeks with her palm.
"—Besides, if Hee-joo were to start smoking, that'd only make things easier. I'm quite the smoker myself; I could teach her how to do it."
He scratched his neck roughly and let out a laugh.
What... what was that supposed to mean? Smoking? Was he actually talking about smoking?
At that moment, the cold wind brushed across her shoulders, reminding her she'd lost her shawl somewhere.
Hee-joo quickly covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a hiccup.
"How dare you... hic! What do you even know...!" She had no idea what she was saying anymore, her words a jumbled mess.
It wasn't her dulled brain speaking but her sad, icy heart, pushing her to spill long-buried truths.
"Didn't you leave for overseas...!"
At that moment, she wasn't the disguised, voice-altered blackmailer but simply herself.
"How long were you even with her to pretend you knew her? Don't get it twisted. In Hong Hee-joo's timeline, you don't even exist...! There's nothing between you two!"
Panting, Hee-joo unconsciously wiped at her damp eyes.
The other end of the line was silent, save for the sound of his labored breathing and what seemed like the steady pace of footsteps.
"—...When I was a child, I had an eating disorder."
"What?"
"—At the time, Hee-joo..."
His voice cut off at the critical moment, as if he had moved the phone away again.
What was happening?
"Hello? Hello?"
Her heart raced with sudden anxiety, but there was no response.
"—...Hee... where is she..."
This time, his voice sounded fragmented and stiff, as if he wasn't speaking to her but to someone else entirely.
Brushing the cold wind-tousled strands of hair from her face, Hee-joo focused on the voice as the alcohol in her system began to subside.
"—Because I was around children, I let my guard down."
His tone abruptly returned to normal, as though nothing unusual had happened.
"—At that time, I found eating and speaking unbearable."
"What? Why?" Hee-joo cut in hurriedly.
"—..."
His voice broke off again.
Hee-joo pressed her forehead with her hand, realizing she'd been too impatient. Had she pushed too hard?
After a long silence, Baek Sa-eon finally spoke, his voice quieter, as if searching for the right words—or perhaps debating whether to say them at all.
"—Let's just call it an intense adolescence."
Though she didn't fully understand, Hee-joo nodded quietly to herself.
"—But when I was with Hee-joo, everything felt natural. Even if I was caught crying or lost my temper, it never felt embarrassing."
It was true. Baek Sa-eon had always been less guarded around her than he was with others.
Whether it was his demeanor or way of speaking, back then, she had thought he was dismissing her because she was just a child. A sharp pain pricked the corner of her mind—a bitter reminder of how crippling insecurity could be.
"—Back then, I thought it was because she was young, couldn't speak, clumsy, and afraid of me. So I looked down on her."
"..."
"—That's how it was at the time."
Suddenly, his voice grew colder.
"—Hee-joo, gloomy? Do me a favor—tell me, is the ocean gloomy too?"
"...!"
The unrestrained harshness in his tone made her shoulders shrink involuntarily, and she hugged her stomach tightly. His voice felt colder than the night wind.
"—If this is all you've got, just quit now."
His words were icy, but oddly, they sent a flicker of warmth through her.
"...Why? Why do you keep talking like this, acting as if you have the right to criticize me—"
She tried to fight back, but he cut her off mid-sentence.
"—Do you have any idea how many times she had to repeat the same actions, dozens or even hundreds of times, just to become the adult she is now?"
"...!"
"—What Hee-joo endured during that time—if not a battle, then what was it?"
Her vision blurred, and she felt something inside her crumble. Her mind went blank.
"—She's not an accessory; she's her own person, someone entirely new."
"..."
"—So don't casually judge my wife."
She hadn't called him to hear these words. And yet, Baek Sa-eon's biting remarks had unexpectedly become a balm for her fractured heart.
Caught in this contradiction, Hee-joo was momentarily speechless. The cruel words from her sister's friends seemed to vanish into irrelevance. The reality of her surroundings dissolved entirely in the gravity of his defense.
At that moment, Hee-joo couldn't help but wonder: Has he always been watching me? Was it because I was so young and ignorant that he hated me?
But those questions turned into something harsher as they slipped out:
"Then why do you treat Hong Hee-joo like she's invisible?"
"—Did she ever say that to 406?"
"This sudden question? Don't tell me I don't understand her," she snapped.
At that exact moment, the elevator chimed with a soft ding.
Hee-joo turned her head absentmindedly.
"...!"
"...!"
Both of them froze, still holding their phones to their ears, staring at one another.
"...You—"
The moment Baek Sa-eon saw her precariously perched on the railing, his face darkened, and he shoved his phone into his pocket.
Striding toward her with an intense expression, he reached her in a few steps. Startled, Hee-joo hastily tried to hide her phone in her bag.
Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her off the railing, placing her firmly on the ground.
"Are you trying to kill yourself...!"
His sharp voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Uh...!"
"Throwing your clothes all over and then climbing onto the railing—what were you thinking?"
"Ugh...!"
Frightened by his thunderous tone, Hee-joo hiccupped. Moments ago, she had been speaking to him over the phone; now, she stood frozen in place.
He ran a hand over his eyes, muttering, "...Damn it, I've been looking for you everywhere."
Seeing the fatigue on his face, Hee-joo felt a pang of guilt welling up in her chest.
In his hand was the shawl she had left behind in the restroom.
"Didn't they teach you in school not to go to dark, high places alone?" he grumbled, frowning as he grabbed her cheeks firmly.
"Ah...!"
Her lips puckered like a fish's as his nose brushed lightly past her cheek.
"Hong Hee-joo's been drinking," he muttered coldly.
"...!"
Hee-joo stiffened in surprise, and his expression turned even more frigid.
"So? How does it feel to drink and climb railings?" His tone was mocking as he draped the shawl over her shoulders.
Looking into his cold gaze, an irrepressible urge stirred within her—a need to shatter his composure.
Why... why were you so cold to me before?
Why are you acting like this now?
Why can't we just pretend to be a real couple?
She opened her mouth, but her throat felt clogged, no sound escaping. No matter who she was speaking to, her voice still refused to come out smoothly.
Baek Sa-eon seemed to understand the questions in her eyes. Tilting his head slightly, he asked, "Were you on the phone?"
"...!"
Hee-joo jolted, her eyes darting nervously. His gaze grew sharper.
"If you weren't talking, why was your phone pressed to your ear?"
He tightened his hold on her waist, his piercing eyes locking onto her face.
Hee-joo endured his intense gaze, her lips moving slightly.
"Mom..."
He bent down, meeting her face-on, carefully reading her lips.
"Ah..." he murmured softly, his brows knitting together, clearly skeptical.
Even so, Baek Sa-eon didn't straighten up. Instead, he kept his focus on her lips, his piercing gaze unwavering.
"Ah...!"
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit Hee-joo, making her sway unsteadily.
Before she could react, he lifted her off the ground. Maintaining his hold on her waist, Baek Sa-eon effortlessly picked her up.
"This is punishment," he said flatly.
"...!"
His fingers pressed firmly against her side like a searing brand.
With their significant height difference, he carried her with the ease of handling a signpost. Hee-joo was forced to look up at him, gripping his shoulders instinctively to steady herself.
"So cold, and yet... Forget it, never mind," he muttered.
That "never mind" was something she had heard countless times before. It seemed deliberate, a habit he had developed to restrain his words and emotions.
His dissatisfied lips formed a slight pout, and for a moment, her thoughts of the cold vanished entirely.